Tiruvallur Municipality to Collect Annual Street Vendor Fees Directly from August, Replacing Contractors

The Tiruvallur Municipality will begin collecting annual vending fees directly from registered street vendors from August, replacing the existing contractor-based collection system. The move is aimed at curbing unauthorised encroachments, improving transparency, and protecting vendors from exploitation.

The civic body has also initiated measures to regulate street vending through designated vending zones and the recently constituted Town Vending Committee.

The decision follows repeated complaints from residents and motorists about vendors occupying busy stretches, including the Tiruvallur Bus Stand, Railway Station, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, CV Naidu Road near the Kamarajar Statue, and Theradi, leading to traffic congestion and obstructing pedestrian movement.

Municipality Chairman P. Udhayamalar Pandian said the municipality, in coordination with the police, has been conducting periodic drives to remove encroachments based on public complaints. However, he noted that vendors had expressed concerns that repeated eviction drives were disrupting their livelihoods.

To strike a balance between public convenience and the rights of street vendors, the municipality is implementing the provisions of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, along with the Tamil Nadu Street Vendors Scheme and Rules, 2015.

A census conducted in 2022 identified 931 street vendors within the municipal limits. Based on the survey, a 15-member Town Vending Committee was constituted this year under the chairmanship of the Municipal Commissioner.

The committee comprises municipal officials, police representatives, members of traders` associations, residents, non-governmental organisations, and six elected representatives of street vendors.

Municipal Commissioner M. Damodaran said the municipality had previously outsourced fee collection to private contractors, who paid a fixed amount to the civic body and recovered the money by collecting daily charges from vendors.

"Several complaints were received that private collectors demanded excessive amounts from vendors under the guise of encroachment charges. The municipality will now directly collect annual vending fees through the Town Vending Committee," he said.

The municipality has classified vendors into five categories: permanent full-time vendors, permanent part-time vendors, vendors with motor vehicles, vendors without motor vehicles, and head-load vendors. The annual fee has been fixed based on the size of the vending space and must be paid in a single instalment.

Officials said the new system would help prevent unauthorised encroachments while safeguarding the livelihoods of registered vendors. Vendors will be issued identity cards and vending certificates, and the municipality will also facilitate access to institutional bank loans to help them expand their businesses.

A. Marimuthu, a street vendor near Uzhavar Sandhai, welcomed the move, saying roadside vendors had often faced eviction and damage to their goods during enforcement dririves. He expressed hope that the new system would provide livelihood security and improve access to bank credit.

Annual Vending Fee Structure